


fire

by still_a_piece_of_garbage



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fire, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Major Character Injury, Near Death Experiences, OT21 (NCT), Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:01:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22539022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/still_a_piece_of_garbage/pseuds/still_a_piece_of_garbage
Summary: There's a fire at the Dream dorm and all of the members are sleeping inside...orMark and Jeno are heros and fierceley protective of each other and the rest of the dreamies, which causes some trouble in situations like a dorm burning down.
Relationships: Lee Jeno & Everyone, Lee Jeno & Mark Lee, Mark Lee (NCT)/Everyone
Comments: 2
Kudos: 263





	fire

Mark awoke to the distinct smell of smoke wafting into his bedroom from under the door. It was a smell that almost reminded him of home, of the fireplace cracking through the holidays as his family would watch movies and bundle up together on the old couch in the family room. The smell would normally comfort him, although now it just didn’t fit. 

The dorm didn’t have a fireplace, did it?

As soon as Mark processed that thought, he sprung up from his bed, immediately wide awake. Leaping across the room to where Jeno lay, completely undisturbed in his sleep, he shook his friend awake and briefly explained what he assumed what was going on. The button-nosed boy’s eyes widened as he listened, and he too began to take in the situation. 

“We need to get out of here, Jeno! Get everyone else up and we’ll leave as soon as possible.” 

With those orders, Mark reached for the door to his room, checking to make sure it wasn’t warm before swinging it fully open to the billowing smoke that awaited them. Covering his mouth with the sleeve of his hoodie and gesturing for Jeno to follow him, he entered the hallway fully and peered down to the source of the flames - the kitchen. They watched in horror as the fire burned its way across the countertop and slowly into the living room, leaving a path of destruction across the areas. 

Shaking themselves out of their shock, the two dreamies split up and began to run to their group mates' rooms to warn them of the impending danger. 

“Fire!” Mark shouted on his way to Jisung and Chenle’s room, “Everyone wake up, we need to get out of here!” 

He could hear grunts of confusion as more members began to wake up and ran through the door of the maknaes’ room. There, he saw Jisung sitting up fully in bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and blinking up at him in confusion. Chenle still slept in his bed, unbothered by all of the commotion. 

“Hyung what-”

“There’s a fire, Jisung, get out of here as fast as possible and try to find a way out of the building.” Voicing his command, Mark proceeded to run to Chenle’s bunk to fully wake up the youngest of the China line, explaining the situation quickly as he heard Jisung rushing out of the room. 

Breathing a sigh of relief once Chenle was running out as well, Mark exited the room to the sight of the two maknaes hurrying down the hallway, their pathway to the outdoors seemingly unblocked. Two more figures emerged from Jaemin and Renjun’s room with Jeno following closely behind, and Mark felt himself relaxing even more as they joined the maknaes down the hallway. 

With a look shared between each other, Jeno and Mark both took off down towards the last door in the hallway. Upon entrance, they saw a confused yet alert Donghyuck already making his way out the door. They ushered him out quickly before making sure they hadn’t left anyone behind in their panic. 

Deciding to split up, Mark and Jeno scoured each bedroom, not willing to take any unnecessary risks. Sparing a glance around Jisung and Chenle’s room, Mark couldn’t help but let a tear slip down his cheek. This was their dorm, their safe space, and it was quickly being torn away from them in the worst way. 

With a slight hesitation, he gathered up small mementos, stuffing them into the pockets of his hoodie. 

“Hyung, we need to go!”

Jeno’s voice ended his small excursion as he was reminded of the dire situation he was still very much a part of. He nodded and quickly joined Jeno in the hallway, only to be met with a sight that made his stomach turn with fear. 

All he saw was fire. 

Jeno and Mark were trapped. 

\------------------------------

Jeno couldn’t breathe. He wasn’t sure if it was the billowing smoke or the fear, all he knew was that he just couldn’t breathe. 

“What do we do now, hyung?” He asked Mark frantically. The elder of the two seemed just as panicked as him, but Jeno could tell that he was reigning in his fear in order to keep his dongsaeng calm. 

“There has to be somewhere we can get out from! Think, are there any other possible exit points that we can get to?”

“Ahah! Jisung and Chenle’s room has a window, but we’re on the second floor hyung. Couldn’t a fall from this height really hurt us?”

At the question, Mark was left to contemplate their next course of action. However, burning plaster crumbling down alarmingly close to where they were standing forced him to act quickly. 

“That’s going to be our best option, Jeno.” He spoke with a remarkably steady voice, as if he wasn’t caught in the middle of a nightmarish scenario with no guarantee that he would make it out alive. 

Although being somewhat reluctant, they both raced back into the room, hot smoke licking their backs and urging them to move faster. Mark threw open the window and both boys stared down their fate. As they observed the treacherous drop, they were left with only one question: let the fire eventually kill them or die trying to escape it? The choice was clear and Jeno, albeit slowly, began to peel the screen off the window, cranking the lever on the frame until the window was fully opened. 

The fire had grown infinitely closer. It licked their ankles, a burning feeling threatening their senses as they grew more and more suffocated by the inextinguishable flames. Knowing there was no time to lose, Mark helped Jeno climb up to the windowsill, hoisting his dongsaeng up before waiting for him to jump. 

And waiting. 

And waiting. 

Jeno wasn’t jumping. Mark stared up at him incredulously, confused by his lack of movement, only to find Jeno staring right back, a sharp glint of fear in his eyes. 

“Hyung, it’s so high.” 

And Mark knew, then and there, that Jeno was not willingly going to be jumping out of that window anytime soon. So, he gathered up the courage he had left and did something he never thought he would have to do. 

“I’m sorry Jeno. I have to get you out of here.”

And he pushed. 

\-----------------------

Jeno had always wished he could fly. From a young age, he had spent hours buzzing around his room as if he were a bird, secretly hoping that one day his wildly flailing arms would lift him off of the ground so he could soar throughout the world. 

Now, however, he really wished he could fly. 

He could feel the wind roaring past his ears as if someone was grinding his eardrums along the pavement, echoing loudly in his frozen head. He didn’t even have time to think about flying away before suddenly, impact struck. 

Immediately, the breath was seized from his chest and he found himself gasping as he laid on his back in shock. Mark had actually pushed him. He understood why, but he had never actually thought the older boy would bring himself to do something so risky. His stunned train of thought was interrupted as he began to register the pain that was now settling in. 

Vaguely, he heard shouting that sounded vaguely familiar, but all he could focus on was the searing pain in his leg and chest, his breath still coming in pants and weak coughs. No one knew that he was lying there, it was impossible; he was all the way in the back of the complex that was impossible to see from the front, where he assumed everyone would be. He laid there on his back, staring up at the blazing building up above, wondering if this would be his last memory. 

‘What a way to go,’ his subconscious supplied helpfully. He was truly terrified of what would become of him if no one came to help him, silent tears streaming down his cheeks as he said a prayer in his head for someone, anyone, to find him. 

Breathing became harder as seconds began to feel like hours, each breath shorter than the last. Raspy coughs left him as his failing body spasmed on the pavement. The only thing running through his mind was fear, a fear of death. He had always imagined that he would live a long, healthy life, dying of old age surrounded by family and friends. This, however, had never crossed his mind. 

A soft pounding filled his head and he gave a moan of pain through coughs as it irritated his already aching head. As it grew louder, accompanied by some muddied shouts, he recognized the sound as footsteps running closer to him. 

‘Did they find me?’ He wondered, ‘Am I safe?’ 

Finally, the running came to an abrupt stop around him and he saw someone - Taeyong, maybe? - kneel down to his level. The hazy figure grasped his shoulders and gently shook them, eliciting a cry of pain from the broken boy. Immediately, they let him go, leaving him sobbing in pain as his hearing slowly came into focus. He could hear the group surrounding him talking to him, begging him to please, say something so we know you’re okay. 

How he wished he could speak. He wanted to scream after everything that had just happened, but all that he could give was a weak, paper-thin whisper. 

“H-hyung.” Help me, he wanted to add. Unfortunately, that one word triggered another coughing fit, this one more intense than all of the others had been at this point. Something pricked his throat and suddenly his lips were wet. It should have worried him, something in his head should have recognized that this was bad, but all he could do was lick his lips, desperate for anything to soothe his dry throat.

Little did he know that two of his hyungs, Taeyong and Doyoung, were staring back at him in horror as they watched him cough up the crimson substance, creating a sharp contrast with his steadily paling skin. It almost looked beautiful, as if it were a carefully planned painting of a devastating scene. And yet, nothing about this was planned. 

“Jeno!” Taeyong shouted in alarm from his kneeling position. He was hesitant to touch him after the last incident, but he wasn’t sure how else to help if he couldn’t even support his bandmate. He knew that Jeno couldn’t hear him, he could tell that from the lack of response, and all of that made him feel more hopeless than he ever had in his life. 

A leader was supposed to take care of his members, and he had been sleeping soundly in his room while the youngest members of his group were forced to escape a literal burning building. Just the thought of the panic and pain that they must have experienced and that Mark was still facing made him sick to his stomach. 

A set of paramedics was soon at their side, gently but urgently pushing the two uninjured boys away from their fallen member as they quickly assessed the damage from Jeno’s fall. Stats were uttered out, lost to the boys in a flurry of movement but seemingly understood by the two who were specially trained to face these types of situations. However, their quick speech didn’t mean that Doyoung couldn’t understand some key messages; there was one sentence that truly made his blood freeze. 

“Hyung,” He whimpered breathlessly, “Did you hear that?” 

Gaze shifting over to Taeyong, he was surprised to see tear streaks leaking freely from his ever-so-strong hyung’s eyes. Taeyong let out a nervous gasp - maybe a cry, perhaps an attempt at words - and responded with a solemn nod of his head, eyes glazed over slightly as if he were somewhere else entirely. Doyoung felt a pang of jealousy at that. 

How was his hyung not screaming out loud like he so desperately wanted to? Had he not actually heard the same words that Doyoung had? The words that the female medic had said echoed through his thoughts, bouncing along the walls of his brain until he was sure he would go mad. 

He’s not going to make it. 

\----------------------

Mark was out of time. Almost immediately after pushing Jeno, a plume of smoke and fire had invaded the room, sending him doubling over in a coughing fit. He dropped to the ground in an attempt to lessen the amount that he was inhaling, recalling something that a former health teacher had taught him about fire safety. 

Whipping his head throughout the room, his eyes landed on a t-shirt that lay in a heap on the floor. For once in his life, he found himself thanking Chenle and Jisung for keeping their room so messy as he grabbed the shirt and tied it around his mouth in an attempt to prevent smoke from being inhaled further. 

Mustering his courage after deducing that the window was no longer an option, he quickly exited the room, still crouched as much as possible. The hallway, while not a complete lost cause, looked almost haunting as the wallpaper was swallowed by flames, only charred black remains left behind. Streaks of flames rolled down towards the floor, heating the room like a furnace and prompting Mark to move even faster just to get away from the burning sensation that was growing in his body.

Making his way towards the living room, Mark soon discovered that all of his exits were blocked. He felt the overwhelming hopelessness fully consume his thoughts as he realized that there was no way for him to get out without being rescued. He felt wetness on his flushed cheeks and realized he was crying now, mourning for himself and the life he would never get to live. He would never see his brothers again, never start a family with his precious Hyuckie, never even get to tell them goodbye. 

As Mark sat there, resigned to his fate while the smoke filled his lungs and his vision began to fade, a loud crash sounded in the room. It was loud, and he made a disgruntled noise of protest as it aggravated his steadily growing headache, until he saw the uniform of the man kneeling in front of him. 

The man was speaking to him - he could see his concerned expression and lips moving rapidly - but all Mark could manage was a soft, hoarse, 

“Thank you.”

Even as the man lifted him from the floor, even as he asked him countless times if he was okay, Mark couldn’t do anything but thank his lifesaver over and over again. He had been so close to giving up, so ready to just lay there and wait for everything to end. The overwhelming relief of realizing that he was going to make it through this event stole the little breath that was left in his body, leaving him gasping even more as he tried to comprehend the fact that he was going to live. 

And even as his eyes finally gave up the battle and closed as he was scooped up into a bridal carry and carried out of his home-turned-hell, Mark felt safe in knowing that he would wake up to see another day. 

\--------------

Mark was aware of a steady beeping sound as he returned to consciousness. His body felt heavy, as if his limbs were glued down to the stiff bed he was laying on, but he noticed with joy that he felt no pain. He wondered briefly if he had died and was incredibly sad that he had been so close to making it out, only to have given in at the last minute. However, he quickly dismissed the idea as the annoying beeping grew louder. ‘Heaven wouldn’t be this annoying,’ he thought as he let out a huff of air through his nose, scrunching his face up as he tried to tune out that god-awful noise. 

However, a gasp in the background brought him back to reality. Who was in the room with him? Mark hoped that it was one of his hyungs, preferably one of the cuddlier ones as he could definitely use some comfort after what he had been through. If he could have held out his arms for a hug he definitely would, but even the small movements he had just made had taken a lot out of him. However, his racing mind was sated when a warm hand appeared on his forehead, brushing his hair back gently. 

“Mark, are you awake, baby?” The warm voice of his hyung, now identified as Doyoung, filtered through the room. Mark knew that he would not be able to answer verbally, as evident from his earlier attempt at sound, so he instead focused all of his energy into moving his face again. His eyelids could have been melted together for all that he knew, as it seemed almost impossible to open them. Nevertheless, he kept up his attempt until finally, his eyelids twitched before opening blearily. Almost immediately, he was blinded by a bright light that was positioned directly over his bed. He closed them again as quickly as possible, letting out a pained noise so faint that it almost sounded like a wounded puppy. The assault on his sensitive eyes sent a slight pounding sensation through his skull and he wished he could just go back to sleep. Doyoung made a cooing sound in sympathy. 

“Sorry! Just a second, baby, I’ll turn the lights off.” And then the hand was gone from his hair, causing a disgruntled whine to escape Mark’s lips. Doyoung chuckled and Mark could hear his soft footsteps travel off to another part of the room before returning to the bed. 

“Alright Mark-ah, do you wanna try again?” While Mark deeply wished that he could just say no and go back to sleep, he also wanted - no, needed - to hear if his friends were okay. The last time he had seen any of the dreamies was when he and Jeno were trapped and he - oh, God, he didn’t really push his best friend out of a window, right? That was just a dream, it couldn’t be, Jeno would be okay, he had to be!

“Breathe, baby, just relax for me, k?” Mark hadn’t even realized that his breathing had picked up during his inner monologue, but he tried to match the steady rhythm that Doyoung was making with his breathing calming his racing heart and gently prying his eyes open again. This time, the room was dark and his vision was no longer assaulting him; instead, he saw his caring hyung sitting on the edge of the small bed, cuddling him as gently as possible and staring down at him with concern. 

“‘Yung?” he said, slurring the word slightly out of exhaustion. Doyoung pulled him closer, softly shushing him and rocking the two of them gently. Mark noticed the sadness mixed in with his hyung’s expression, as if there was something else wrong that he didn’t know about. “What’s wrong?”

Doyoung blinked at him in surprise before quickly trying to smile brightly, though the sadness remained in his features, causing his smile to droop and his eyebrows to furrow. 

“Nothing’s wrong, honey. Just try and get settled back down, okay?” 

But Mark wasn’t buying it. He knew how his hyungs acted when something was worrying them, and with everything that had happened, he knew there was definitely something going on that Doyoung was purposely trying to avoid telling him about. 

“Hyungie,” he whined, “Stop hiding things from me. I’m a big kid now, remember?” He asked tiredly, making his hyung chuckle and ruffle his hair before growing silent once again. Doyoung sighed before looking down at the floor and beginning to explain. 

“Baby, before I tell you I just want to make sure you know that none of this is your fault, okay? You did everything you were supposed to and more; you’re the hero, Mark!” He exclaimed, now staring earnestly into Mark’s eyes, “They brought you and Jeno in about six hours ago, both of you going straight to emergency surgeries upon arrival. You got out almost two hours ago. They said you messed up your right leg pretty badly and you inhaled a lot of smoke. They were worried about possible brain damage for a while because of how little oxygen you were getting.” Mark glanced at his leg to find that it did, in fact, have a white cast wrapped all the way up to his mid-thigh. He pouted slightly at the thought of not being able to dance again, but his concerns were not focused on himself right now. 

“And Jeno? Is he okay?” 

“Yes, baby, he’s fine. In fact, he got off much better than you and they’re thinking about possibly releasing him in the next few days if he’s still doing okay,” Doyoung assured, “He broke three ribs and one of them punctured his lung, but it was easy to fix in surgery and he should be fine in a few weeks. He’s in the room next door with Jungwoo right now, but he might come over to visit you later tonight.” This information calmed Mark’s nerves as he now knew that his friend was okay, but he couldn’t help feeling guilty for his decisions during the fire. 

“I pushed him hyung.” Doyoung made a noise of disagreement, but Mark was already rambling over him. 

“Hyung, he was so scared and I just- I can’t even believe I did that to him, even if he’s okay he’s still gonna hate me for what I did! I-I didn’t even think about the consequences, but he could have died, hyung! I-I can’t-” he was panting now, working himself into a panic, “I c-can’t breathe. Hyung!” He reached out for his Doyoungie hyung as if he would be able to magically fix this whole situation. His hyung’s strong hand grasped his own shaking one, a grounding presence in his panic. 

“Aegi, it’s okay! Jeno’s going to be just fine, okay? He’ll understand that you did everything you had to in order to get him out of the dorms. Just focus on breathing, alright?” And focus on breathing he did, only to realize the heavy, weighted feeling in his chest. He rattled every time he took a breath and wheezing made his chest ache like he had just smoked an entire pack of cigarettes. He tried to breathe through it though, as Doyoung had told him. 

He snuggled further into his hyung’s arms and allowed himself to just drift in and out of consciousness for a while, never sleeping but never fully awake either. There were a few doctors who came to visit and check his vitals, but other than that he was relatively undisturbed for a good few hours. All throughout this time, his hyung stayed curled up beside him snuggling him and keeping him toasty warm. With the reassurance of his hyung’s cuddles and the knowledge that his friends would be okay, Mark finally allowed himself to slip off to sleep.

________________

Jeno didn’t know where he was. He was tired and his head hurt, that much he knew, but he had no idea where he was or what in the name of God was making that awful beeping noise. He wanted to yell at whoever was making such a ruckus, but his mouth wouldn’t cooperate with his brain for some reason. He let out a small whine instead, hoping someone got the message.

“Jeno?” Yes! That was a voice he knew! He couldn’t put a name to it but he was definitely close to whoever has just spoken and it made him so happy that there was some familiarity even though it was disorienting to not be able to speak or move. 

As he thought more about the situation, he realized that there was actually something obstructing his throat, making it impossible to actually speak to the others in the room. He began to whine weakly in discomfort and confusion, tossing and turning on the bed as much as his mangled, drugged-up body would let him. Then, there was a hand in his hair, carding gently through his tangled locks as the voice shushed him in a soothing way.

“Easy, buddy. It’s there to help you, okay? Someone will be here to take it out soon but for now, just focus on my voice.” The voice was becoming clearer now as Jeno began to recognize the soft voice of his Jungwoo hyung. He leaned into the warmth that the hand in his hair offered and sighed contently, starting to relax against Jungwoo’s chest. 

“There we go, nice and easy, Jeno-yah. Do you think you can open those beautiful eyes for me?” Open his eyes? He could do that, right? He tried prying his eyelids open but found it was much easier said than done. Had someone glued his eyes shut as some sort of cruel prank? He gave another few tries and eventually, his eyes slid open lazily, blinking rapidly to clear the haze in his vision. Above him, his sweetest hyung was staring down at him with a cheery grin, but Jeno could clearly see the puffiness in his eyes that showed he had been crying not long ago.

“Oh, baby,” Jungwoo sighed in relief, “You had us all so worried.” Jeno just kept staring at him, trying to reassure him despite not being able to speak yet.

Speaking of which, Jungwoo was interrupted by the sound of a door opening and a doctor poking his head in. He smiled upon seeing that his patient was awake.

“Welcome back, Jeno-ssi,” He greeted with a calm smile, “I’m Doctor Yang. What do you say we get rid of that tube, huh?” Jeno tried to nod as eagerly as he could without moving too much, as he was trying not to add any more pain to what he was currently feeling. The doctor chuckled lightly and approached Jeno’s bed.

“Alrighty then. Now, you’re going to get a strange sensation in your throat as I pull it out but don’t worry, okay? Just try to keep taking some nice deep breaths.” And with that, he felt movement as the mouthpiece of the tube was disconnect before the tube itself began sliding up his throat, creating an uncomfortable scraping feeling. He gagged partially as the end came out but remembered the doctor’s words and forced himself to take calming breaths.

Jungwoo leaned over with a glass of water in his hands, lifting it to Jeno’s mouth and tilting it so that he could take a sip. The cool liquid felt heavenly against his sore throat, numbing the pain that came from having a plastic tube shoved down it. Once he had settled down, he tried speaking again.

“Is Mark okay?” His hyung smiled in understanding, petting his head soothingly.

“Yes, aegi, he’s doing fine. He’s been asking for you though, but we’ll have to see what the doctor thinks about you visiting now.” Jeno nodded, it made sense to be cautious seeing as his body still felt like it had been hit by a truck. Apparently that’s what falling two stories does to a person. 

“What about the others? Everyone made it out okay, right?”

“Of course, thanks to you and Mark. Aigoo, my baby’s so brave!” 

Their conversation was interrupted as the doctor pushed the door open. She smiled gently at Jeno and walked over to his bed, seeming to check over his vitals until she nodded in approval. 

“You seem to be recovering well, Jeno-ssi. At this rate, you may be able to be released this week!” Jeno was happy to receive such promising news, but the question still remained. 

“Can I see Mark, please?” She smiled at him and nodded slightly.

“Alright, if you’re feeling up to it. Just let me get you a wheelchair.” And with that, she was out of the room, leaving the two alone in comfortable silence. Jeno looked over at his hyung and saw the relief that came from him waking up, but also the deeply rooted sadness that this event had left him with. He reached out weakly and grasped the hand that was running through his hair. 

“Hyung,” he whispered, “‘M sorry for worrying you all.” Jungwoo chuckled lightly, shaking his head at his dongsaeng. 

“Aish, you’re so silly, aegi. You’ve got nothing to apologize for, okay? Everyone’s just happy you guys made it out,” He sighed shakily, tears gathering in his eyes, “When we got the call - I mean, the managers hadn’t even gotten the full story yet. We didn’t know anything except that everything burned down, and we didn’t know if you guys had made it out or if you were okay or if you were - i-if you guys had -” He cut himself off with a choked breath, tears spreading slowly down his cheeks. 

Jeno felt an immense feeling of guilt and reached over to lean against his hyung in a lazy form of a hug, hoping to reassure him.

“We’re okay, hyungie.” Jungwoo laughed wetly.

“I know you are, Jeno. Hyung’s being silly, huh?” Jeno just snuggled further into his warm body, breathing in the familiar scent of home. 

Soon enough, the nurse was back, rolling a wheelchair in front of her. With her and Jungwoo working together, they managed to maneuver Jeno’s still-prone body into it and transfer his IV bag onto a rolling pole that they could take on their trip. 

As Jungwoo wheeled his chair down the hospital hallway, Jeno couldn’t help feeling self-conscious at the pitying stares that were sent his way. He knew he must not be looking great, with his pale, bruised face and multiple bandages visibly peeking out of his stark gown. However, he tried not to dwell on the negative thought as he approached Mark’s room at the end of the hallway.

The wheelchair slowed to a stop just outside of the door and Jungwoo reached over to twist the doorknob, opening the door and pushing him in to see his hyung.

And there he was. Alive. Eyes barely open, oxygen cannula pressed into his nose, and at least twice as many machines around him as Jeno had, but alive nonetheless. He reached out for his hyung as he was pushed toward the bed, grabbing the hand that was offered and placing a soft kiss to the back of it.

“Jeno-yah,” Mark breathed, sounding almost as exhausted as he looked. Jeno was quick to shush him.

“It’s okay hyung, get some rest, okay? I won’t go anywhere, I’m right here. It’s okay.” As if that reassurance was all that he had needed, Mark finally let himself give in to sleep. 

And maybe, in the coming days, two heroic idols managed to wrap every nurse and doctor around their fingers.

And maybe they even managed to get a shared room together by the second day of their stay, pushing theirbeds together for optimal cuddles.

Maybe, at one point, they managed to squeeze twenty-one young men into a room originally mant for two, all of them embracing and crying and laughing for hours. 

And that was okay, because they needed those moments, the ones filled with love and hope for their future, in light of the trauma that would surely follow them in even the best of times. They would be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey gang! 
> 
> Happy (very belated) 2020! How've you all been? Please excuse this 6,000 word pile of vomit I just published as it definitely got out of control as I was writing it lol. 
> 
> As always, thank you all so much for any reads, kudos, and comments you can give, it really means the worl to me when I get that kind of support! 
> 
> Also, if anyone has any requests that you'd like me to do, please leave a comment with your request and I will get in touch with you!
> 
> Again, thanks so much for reading my works!!
> 
> \- WabileFlabi


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